Hi everyone!
Yesterday I was at a guitar store and after trying a few acoustics, asked to play one very fancy and crazy expensive PRS Paulās Guitar. Stunningly beautiful instrument, but one thing was bothering me a lot. The high-gloss nitro finish on the neck felt sticky and simply bad. And itās the same story with a Gibson Les Paul Standard I tried last year, the same unpleasant feel from a very expensive and overall great guitar.
I have 3 electric guitars now, 2 made in China and 1 in Indonesia. They all have a high-gloss finish, but itās a polyurethane lacquer. And it feels good, smooth and fast to slide along the neck.
So now I have a question: whatās the deal with the nitro finish? But at least now I understand why so many people talk about sanding their necks and before I always wondered why do that. Maybe with nitro itās the only way.
The vintage guitars used nitro finish so thatās one thing. The finish cracks with age giving an aged appearance. So itās personal taste if you like that sort of thing. Personally I like a nice shiny or smooth new looking guitar so not my thing.
Then there are people who love the smell of the nitro finish. Poly finish doesnāt smell once it has hardened.
There are people who claim the tone sounds better with nitro finish. Iām sceptical about that.
For me, once I made my own guitar and sanded the neck and oiled it, no other finish is as nice. 
I donāt like any sort of lacquer on the neck.
Generally I agree with everything @Prof_Thunder wrote above.
As far as my personal preferences are concerned - I have guitars with both high gloss and satin neck fihish, and it makes no difference for me, I love to play all of themā¦ 
Nitro finishes are often a little sticky for a while but as the nitro finishes curing (this can take months) and starts to wear then often this goes away. Iāve currently got 4 electric guitars with nitro and donāt have any problems - funnily enough the only neck Iāve sanded is my otherwise excellent telecaster squire classic vibe which had a very glossy poly neck which I found too sticky.
Having said that, everyone has different preferences - different playing styles, different skin types etc, you might find you just donāt get on with nitro and thatās cool.
Nitro finishes are typically much thinner than poly, and (although controversial) I think this might make a difference to tone on an acoustic guitar. The best sounding acoustics Iāve ever owned had virtually no finish, but with softwood tops you have virtually no protection either!
I can not add to the advice here either it is all good, just take a look at Willie nelsons old acoustic wow man there is hardly any wood never mind Finish cheers Hec
Three Nitro Gibsons and all play and feel sweet. Not something Iāve noticed, even on the LP which broke it neck and Luthier colour matched the fix with fresh nitro. All good.
but natch, ymmv.
I noticed the same the same thing when buying my LP and it bothered me. The neck felt sticky, just as you described. I bought it anyway and played it almost exclusively. Very soon it just felt completely normal. Either I got used to it or the neck indeed cured as Paul suggested.
I also have a squire classic vibe and had to sand the neck. You just need to take the shine off, I used very fine wet ānā dry sand paper. Now it feels so good and I like the fact that I did it myself.
I donāt really know much about finishing guitars, but read articles and forums that discuss, complain and ask about them. Mostly for acoustics of course.
With acoustics, some people like lighter finishes on the theory it makes the guitar more responsive and therefore sound better. I doubt this has much impact on an electric guitar , though.
Mostly, it is easy to apply, develops a vintage look perhaps and possibly best of all, is supposed to be much easier to repair should it chip or scratch. Of course it is more fragile as well, so more prone to damage.
I have not ever experienced a āstickyā neck on my guitar (as long as my hand are clean)so I canāt comment on that. Of course, I am not racing up and down the neck playing solos on an electric.
Iām pretty sure Iāve never even held a guitar with a nitro finish. I think itās one of those things where Iām best off keeping it that way just in case I develop a taste for it. And that might be my advice for peopleā¦ if youāre happy playing guitars with a poly finish (as I am) then donāt get tempted or you might just make your hobby a whole lot more expensive!
This is not correct. Nitro is one of the hardest finishes to apply and can take up to 5 days. This is why itās not applied to cheap guitars.
Nito is easier to repair.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Good thing Iām not looking for another guitar at the moment, so donāt have to worry about finishes or other stuff.